Contest: win $500 back to school 2011 savings spree!

Win a $500 back to school giveaway! Credit: Phil Roeder/Flickr

Remember last week when I asked which $100 prize you wanted to win? Wellllllllll, I’m super excited to announce that instead I’m working with Sears and Kmart to offer a $500 back to school saving spree! Woot Woot! The winner will receive a $250 Sears gift card AND a $250 Kmart gift card, generously donated by the retailers!!!

How did we come up with $500? The National Retail Federation estimates the average family will spend $603 on back to school shopping. But shopping at Kmart and Sears saves you a bundle, so we’re confident you can get everything your kid needs for school for $500.

Here is what’s on the “must have” list for back to school shopping at Sears and Kmart.

Sears – Some of the best clothing deals are on BONGO, American Star, and US Polo Assn. I saw stylish BONGO tops and graphic tees for $10-$18, American Star vests for $23 (vests are back in style), and polos for $15-$20.

Kmart – The back to school 2011 gear at Kmart spans everything from school supplies, to backpacks, lunchboxes, gadgets, and dorm decor. I saw notebooks, pens, and binders – school supplies that I didn’t even know Kmart sold! Dozens of backpacks and totes are $10-$30, though most fall in the $13-$20 range. There was a wide selection of laptops, netbooks, tablets and desktops, plus memory sticks and ereaders. Dorm decor included the practical (sheets, bedding) to the personal (bean bags and lava lamps). Should your kid need paper plates, baggies, and plastic utensils, Kmart’s Smart Sense line has you covered. Is it me or has Kmart thought of everything?

To win, do two things:

Join our BargainBabe.com email list (if you already receive a daily or weekly email from BargainBabe.com, just see the next bullet point)

AND leave a comment with your strongest memory of school, whether it be the day you aced a test, overcame the school bully, or fell in love for the first time.

EXTRA ENTRIES (leave a comment for each extra entry so we can count you):

Get an extra entry for tweeting: “I want to win a $500 back to school savings spree at @MySears and @KmartDealsnNews on the @bargainbabe blog http://bit.ly/qaNBor”

Get an extra entry for an update on Facebook about the contest with this link: http://bit.ly/qaNBor

Comments

I always remember that in middle school I would always get peppermints before taking standardized tests, because we were told that peppermints would help us stay alert. I am sure the sugar rush didn’t hurt either!

One of my fondest school memories was when I was named “Student of the Week” in 4th grade and I got to go out for a pizza lunch with my teacher. He was known for telling funny stories and when we got back, he entertained the class with a story about how I had tap-danced on the table during lunch!

I will always remember the crush I had on a boy in 8th grade. He noticed, on the day of 8th grade grad, that on that same day, I had had my dreaded braces removed! Ah, he noticed me and the new smile:)

I always remember the first day of school being so scary. Every year and every time.
But then I would find my friends from the year before and everything would be ok. I am an email subscriber too and have been.

Probably my most memorable school moment was the day I got sick & ended up having appendicitis. It was the craziest day of my life & the school nurse thought I was faking (but after sending me back to class my teacher was very aware that I didn’t look too hot). And I was definitely NOT faking. I then got to miss a week of school while recovering. 🙂

I tweeted (@open_here), posted to FB (www.facebook.com/open.here) & I follow you on Twitter.

I will never forget 5th grade. The teacher announced by the end of the day one of you will not be able to open your locker after I have gone over this with you. You guessed it, at lunch time , my locker would not open. It was me. I was so embarrassed. My sweater had gotten caught in the lock. I was mortified.

One of my strongest memories of school was the day I tried faking sick to not go but got busted by my parents when my story didn’t pan out. My dad took me into school that day and had a meeting with the teacher. I had to walk into class late on my own.

One of my strongest memories of school was in grade one when we took a math test and it was a combination of addition and subtraction. I didn’t pay attention and did addition for the whole thing. If they were all addition I would have got 100%, but instead I only got 50%. My teacher took me aside and told me to spend more time reading. Since then I am much more careful with my test taking.

We moved in my fifth grade. I had no idea how small I was, until the custodian had to import a third grade desk so my feet would touch. I also got lost, walking home from school that first day. And to boot it all, my new city schoolmates chided me for my country Laura Ingalls-type braids. It was a rough start, but I grew up, became an elementary school teacher, making sure that no ‘newbie’ students in my classrooms ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or unwelcome.

I always remember being SOOO excited for the first day of school. I would even lay my clothes out the day before. We would try to exhaust ourselves so that we could sleep better, but we always ahd trouble sleeping we were so excited. It was always a lot of fun finding out who your new teacher would be and seeing friends you hadn’t seen all summer long!

When I was in 4th grade, my aunt brought me a grass skirt from Hawaii because I was always dancing around and she thought it would entertain me. I decided that I would take it to school and do the hula dance for my classmates. The teacher gave me permission and I danced happily, impressing my classmates… until my grass skirt came loose and fell off right there in front of everyone. Totally embarrassed, I grabbed the skirt and held it up in front of me and just kept swaying my hips until the song was over!

Having our pictures taken as a family (my brother, sister and I) at the end of our long driveway – everyday on the first day of school. I just finished my PhD and I took my picture on the first day of school every year for the last 25 years !

My strongest memory of school was slipping on the ice in eighth grade while getting onto the school bus. I broke my arm…but my mom (thinking it was bruised) wrapped it in an ace bandage for a week and had me go to school while I was in pain. A week of crying and holding my arm, my mom took me to see a doctor and get a cast. OUCH! Painful memory.

My favorite childhood memory was of walking to school w/my 3 older brothers and feeling SO SAFE! I was the ‘baby’ and I remember my Mom giving the boys exact instructions so I wouldn’t get lost! They are still my protectors!

I remember my 2nd grade teacher, she was so patient and, made me write my name – ‘perfectly’ and, would stand next to my desk and, watch me, she was so caring and, her name was Mrs. Thorsen. I will never forget her and, because of her my handwriting (not cursive) is perfect. Not in my opinion, people tell me: “you write so neat.” So I thank her.

I had an unusual nickname from two jr. high boys, we were in several classes together and homeroom, the 3 of us. Little did I know that it meant the liked me enough to kid me about it. I know now, and have a better appreciation for boys/men.

Walking to school in thick fog… Girls weren’t allowed to wear pants back then. Playing two square, loving all my art classes, gymnastics, creative writing, and being able to take classes as an adult just because I want to.

One of many fond memories was in the 4th grade. I was selected to draw a large hallway mural of animals. Once I finished, a group of kids painted the drawings under my supervision. The elephant was my favorite. The entire project looked great and my art teacher was very proud of our accomplishment.

I remember being dropped off at boarding school at age 4. Being that young, I didn’t know if my mom was ever going to return for me. Sitting at the window of my new dorm room I watched as my mom and grandma (dad already had split when I was 2) pull away down the street. I cried.

An inveterate reader since the age of 4, I was way ahead of my peers and bored with most classroom reading assignments. My 5th grade teacher recognized this and gave me books to read from his own personal library.

The 1st day of first grade my mom just walked my older sister to her classroom and then turned to me and said “Go ahead and go to your classroom you aren’t going to cry.” I remember thinking “What? this is so scary that kids cry?” so of course I started to cry.

The fact that there were only about 20 of us in grade school. We stayed in the same class room all year for the first 8 years. I still consider those people my closest friends, even after all these years!

I am an email subscriber and my biggest memory of school is having a crush on my now-husband. We went to school together from the first grade on, but never dated. We met back up after college and ended up getting married.

I’ll always remember the marine biology field field trip our advanced science class took. It was a week long and we had so much fun (and learned a lot, too!)
someluckydog at gmail dot com
(I’m a subscriber, too!)

My strongest memory of school would be when I won the spanish student of the year award in my senior year. I had no idea at the awards ceremony, and when my name was called I felt so much pride and honor. All of my hard work – I remembered all the hours and hours of study I put in, the time every Friday night my mom would stay up late and quiz me on vocabulary words, and when I had to give an oral presentation memorized in Spanish. I will never forget the day I won.

i most memorable memory is when i started a new school (3rd grade), new town. I did not know anyone 🙁 I sat next to a girl “Felicia” I smiled at her…she smiled back and instantly we became friends 🙂 35 years later we are still best of friends.

I remember my first day of 8th grade, I was so scared because it was a new school and at the time it I thought it was a very big school. At the end of the day I felt so much better, everyone was very nice and made me feel welcome. I couldn’t wait to go back the next day.

My fifth grade teacher read us great books after we came in from lunch recess, to set a nice tone for the afternoon. I love those books to this day and have read them to my niece and nephews, and now to my own son.

I could have been Becky’s teacher, as that’s just what I did for my 5th graders! As for my own memories… They’re too numerous to mention. However, something that always stands out in my mind is how much love and care our parent volunteers shared with our students by raising funds to provide supplies, clothes, etc., for the neediest of our kids. It always brought tears to our eyes, and huge smiles to the students. Now those are joyful memories! I’d love to be able to use the Sears and KMart cards to continue this effort.

I remember putting clothes on layaway so that they could be paid off by the start of school and so we “wouldn’t wear them until then.” At least that’s what mom said as she looked at her thin wallet. So much joyful anticipation for our new clothes! In 7th grade home economics I learned to sew my own clothes and showcased them in the school fashion show! Pure joy!

My strongest school memory was the day we snuck out of a mandatory all day retreat by walking into the auditorium and giving the teacher our names and then going out through the stage doors at the back of the auditorium.

I spent the whole day at the mall with my friends and we had a great time.

My favorite memory is going back to my elementary school when I was 18 and looking at colleges. I walked into my first grade classroom and saw my first grade teacher still teaching a live class of little six year olds 12 years later!

I subscribe to BargainBabe’s daily emails and am a fan on Facebook. Thanks!

Well, senior year I was voted class opposites with this guy… me = quiet, shy, never got into trouble, basically helped everyone else with their homework. the guy = ah, not. Well, they had to take our picture again, because they couldn’t find the original; but, by then, I kind of had to hold a picture of him because, well, he was expelled… and I really do not remember why. But I was not expelled. So… opposite enough? LOL

In 6th grade, I was so competetive with this boy regarding academics. Whenever it was test time and he would finish first, he would put his pencil down, look over at me and fold his arms with a look of triumph on his face. I always thought he was such a jerk, LOL!

I met my best friend Jenny in third grade at school. We had a contest on the swing set to see who swing the longest and had to call it a tie when we both got too hungry and tired. I will never forget that day since it was the beginning of a life long friendship.

My greatest memory would have to be me graduating high school. I wasn’t the best student, I was smart but lazy. My dad had to pay for night school just so I could graduate on time because I threw my first two years of school down the drain. So as I was graduating and walking to get my diploma I look over at my dad. He had been injured real bad at work and had pins put in his ankle, but he was there to cheer me on crutches and all. I had told him earlier that day he didn’t have to come because I knew he was in pain. He said ok, and he showed up anyways. It was the highlight of my high school years, graduating and seeing the support from my dad.

My favorite memory of school, is when my 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Kelly, made me move my desk to be next to hers facing the classroom. She later told me at my 8th grade graduation that she moved it so that some of my intelligence would rub off on her! I know she moved it because I talked way to much but she did motivate me in a way that she’ll never know!

My strongest memory was after having an amazing music class, I came home and told my mom that I thought it would be a pretty awesome job to be an elementary music teacher. I have become just that and couldn’t love my job of teaching K-5 music more!

I remember my first day of Kindergarten in 1985 and my mother about to get on the bus with me..crying hysterically that her baby was growing up..Well, I did grow up. but still will always remember that

I am subscribed via email and I always was so excited the day before school started but a bit nervous as well! But when I finally went to high school,that was the strionget memory.:)
ksceviour at hotmail dot com

I remember the first day of school for many years of my education……the smell of my new shoes, perhaps a new outfit, all new paper, nice and flat, great new markers and pens, and a clean looseleaf binder that would soon be covered with hearts and the names of my favorite singers at the time, or a secret love I harbored for the year. Those smells never leave. Oh, and the smell of a new box of crayons was the best of all..

Seeing that I just attended my 30th class reunion last month and rehashed many memories then, I am not going to remark on my strongest memory. I am just glad I still live in the same town I graduated from, was able to attend my reunion, and had the chance to laugh and share those memories with my former classmates. Everyone that is able should attend their reunions.

I remember in 5th grade, we were reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. My teacher planned all kinds of fun activities for us to do during the time we were reading. We had a tea party and made “trurkish delight”, which was really just jello cubes covered in powdered sugar, but it made the story really fun to read and still one of my favorites!

I remember in 1st grade when the hall monitor let me ring the giant bell (i have no idea how I was able to hold it in 1st grade) to release classes for the day. I always wanted to and was too shy to ask, and it really was a highlight.

I remember winters in NC!! Not as bad as winters in the North, but the southern kids were just a bit creative to get your blood rushing first thing in the morning. Riding the bus to school early in the morning, when the older kids would hols freeze outs STUNK!!!! I froze, even though i was bundle up and was dunked down in the seat. The older kids would drop all the windows on the bus!!!!!!! And a 40 min ride to school in early morning with 50 degree weather was torture.. AH!!! Memories of the bus Freeze OUTS!!!!

My first memory of school is the very 1st day of Kindergarten. My mom put me in this awful blue dress with a red school building applique. She thought I’d be upset but I absolutely loved everything about school, except that dumb dress. LOL

i already subscribe by email
i have alot of school memories but i guess a day that stood out was in grade 4 and it was sports day and i wasnt all that good at most sports but for some reason that day i could do the long jump and i won first place and it was the best day ever, and the only time i ever won on sports day
staceyx at telus dot net

My strongest memory (although not my fondest) was in 8th grade sewing class. We had to make our own graduation dresses out of embroidered organdy. (That dates me!). Two days before graduation, the teacher told me that my hem was all uneven, and I had to take it home, remove all the stitches, and put in a new hem all in one day. I was afraid I wouldn’t graduate. My Mom helped me even it out.

I remember my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Teets. He was that special teacher who made learning interesting. After I moved away from my home town, I would always make it a point to visit him each year when I returned to visit my family. Mr. Teets was a very cool teacher.

My favorite memory was singing Michael Jackson’s “Bad” to my classmates in elementary. It was 5th or 6th grade and the girls cracked up. Could not let go or stop looking at the lyrics while dancing on the tables.

I subscribe to your email. I remember always having to run down the long driveway to bus. We grewup in the country in Texas where you could see for miles. But we always seemed to run down to the bus at the last minuet.

My 5th grade teacher took a group of us for a ride in her new cadillac. I know that’s not in school related but for a 9 year old it was cool. We drove just around the schools block but I’ll always remember it. I subscibe and follow you on twitter.

I remember that we were allowed to go to Junior prom every year (not just as a junior) and I went every year which was fun. Also my high school sweetheart is now married to my youngest sister-which is weird after being out of school for almost 20 years.

This was such a sweet contest. One of my fondest memories is in the forth grade and my teacher was instilling in me the joys of reading. Mrs Gross let us take home books from her personal class library and it was usually one a week, but since I began to really love reading, she used to let me come to class during lunchtime and get more books to take home. I was reading almost 3 books a week. Til this day, I love teachers who truly love to teach.

So many great stories! I’m glad most of them are positive. I think I’ve blocked out most of my negative memories of school. One day I remember fondly was when I was in fifth grade and was playing in the middle school band. (My Mom made me practice everyday and I had some natural talent so I got accepted into the more advanced band.) We had a concert at the elementary school, where I was a student, for the entire school. When I returned to class after the concert, all my classmates and Ms. Z stood up and clapped for me. At the time I was so embarrassed I put my head down and ran to my seat. But now it makes me choke up!

I have lots of memories from school, so I’m going to share one of my favorite silly ones. My friend and I took the same Physics class when we were seniors in high school. We were assigned partners to design and build roller coasters with (unfortunately my friend and I were not paired with each other). After all of the teams had finished demonstrating how well their roller coasters worked, our teacher displayed the coasters around the room. My roller coaster was placed next to my friend’s, and we decided that our coasters were destined to be together. To commemorate this, we hung a “just married” banner from the two coasters. Luckily our teacher was a big goofball who didn’t mind our antics, so he left the banner up all year 😉

I was in fifth grade, I was becoming a pre teen, I was old enough to do a few chores in the house. I had to wash and iron my uniform everyday. One day I was ironing and my blue skirt was burned with the iron :(. I didn’t care until next day when I went to school. Everybody was laughing and making fun of my skirt. I felt so bad and ashamed I had to use the same skirt for weeks! Fortunately my mom bought another on for me.

Starting junior high in a Catholic school, we had to carry our books in a big bookbag. The first day of school I made friends with another new girl when we bonded over thinking we had to carry ALL the books back & forth every day.

I’m already an e-mail subscriber.
My strongest memory of school is…having to pretend that I hated it. I actually liked school but none of the other kids did so I had to groan and moan along with everyone else.
Didn’t keep me from getting called “teacher’s pet,” though. Apparently being smart was a bad thing. 🙁

This time of year I get so nostalgic about back to school memories. What really sticks out is how excited I was to start 2nd grade. I had a new bright red book bag with an apple on it that I really loved.

I think my fondest memory from school was when my 3rd grade teacher, whom I admired SO much, asked my permission to use my name for a character in a children’s book she was writing. I was on cloud nine!!

I met my best friend in 4th grade and we were close until she moved away in 6th grade. We have kept in touch all of these years (and chat daily on Facebook), even though we have only seen each other three times since she moved away. Meeting my best friend is one of my best school memories.

My strongest school memory was my first day of high school; I stayed after school for a Scrabble event hosted by the school newspaper, and found myself on the staff as a writer and copy editor by the end of my first match. 🙂

My strongest memory is a rainy day in the 1st grade. We had to stay in our classroom to eat lunch. I had brought my favorite sandwich…PB&J with crunchy peanut butter. As I took that first yummy bite, I bit down on something hard. I had a loose tooth and such enough, it had come out!!

I loved school! I remember going to the farmer’s market & then making soup and helping to make a quilt square with pretty ladies in pretty dresses with parasols in Kindergarten with Mrs. Brandon. I remember my first grade teacher calling me her mother hen to my mom & that she never feared leaving the class with me there. I remember reading a 1st grade multi-story reader in one night, & proving I had by answering questions from each story. But what I remember most are that these are the things who make me who I am today! A reader, A mother, A quilter, a chef & an explorer!

When I was in the eighth grade, my math teacher signed several of us students up for the math team. She didn’t ask, she just signed us up. I was mad at first because I would have to give up my afternoons after school to stay at school and study. But, I made new friends, and by the time the statewide competition rolled around two months later, we were a close team. We all cheered when one of our team members took home 1st place, and even when I placed 13th (out of 400), I got a full round of applause from my friends. Math team was a decision that was made for me, but it ended up giving me lots of happy memories.

My fondest memory of school was pretzel time. Soft pretzels are a religion in Philly and it was quite the honor to be choosen to pick up the soft dough creations from the office. I felt like I won the lottery when I got pretzel duty.

Until 4th grade, the other kids in school had made me feel badly about myself when it came to academics, because I had a learning disability that hadn’t been picked up.

Between a new teacher, who recognized there was a problem that could be fixed given time and attention, and a new friend, who was willing to stand up to the other kids and say she thought I was as smart as the others or maybe smarter, it was a turning point.

But the really memorable time was 8th grade graduation, when I was called forward as one of the handful of kids who had stayed on the honor roll through all three years of junior high and having all of the same kids, who had teased and made fun of me in grammar school, now cheering me for my efforts.

This was especially important for me as I was a bit of an ugly duckling, who was a bit delayed growing into her swans looks.

I remember that I was picked to be the band leader for our class. We all learned how to play the recorder, which at that time all the kids called a flute. We gave a concert that honored the Armed Forces with patriotic songs. I was so proud of myself and more so of my country.

it was breakfast for lunch day. My favorite day ever! Well that was until after lunch. I askd to go to the bathroom, my teacher said no. 14 minutes later ended up pooping my pants 🙁 it was a day ill never forget

I wore a batman costume that my grandmother made me in kindergarten during Halloween and right at the beginning of class, the seam on my backside split open revealing my underwear, lets say, I had no super powers that day

School was a great time for me. Although my husband and I went to the same school, we didn’t meet until we were on a field trip to New Orleans Mardi Grai parade.long story short, we dated 7years and married over 25. What wonderful memories we had. I still get together with HS friends and reminisce.

I tweeted, followed and facebooked 🙂 I commented here too, but I don’t see it 🙁 My strongest memory was the 1st day of 9th grade. Our school tried something new. They had us sign up for our classes in the gymnasium. The teachers were sitting at tables with sign up sheets. My bffs & I were so busy socializing that we didn’t sign up till the end. I ended up with some crazy electives, Photography and Wood Shop. I didn’t even own a camera and I ended up LOVING wood shop. Not that I’ve turned a lathe since LOL!

It was my first day as i Junior in High school. I had been the girl walking down the hallway with her nose in a book-unti that day when I met two girls trying to get down the stairs (one was on crutches) and amazingly enough-I offered to help them! We’ve been best friends ever since then. Going on 25 years now!

The week before and after school started, I would help the nuns get the classroom ready. It was a great way to get brownie points, although I didn’t know it at the time. I just felt that I was being helpful.